The Apple Tree [Kindle Edition]

Julie has spent her life up to now trying to please other people. Her father, her sister and her husband have all manipulated her and she feels obliged to follow in their footsteps and become a doctor, even though she hates it.
After a very unhappy time in Saudi Arabia she uncharacteristically abandons her husband and returns to England. But her rebellion does not ensure her escape. She moves in with her powerful sister who does not allow her to veer from the plans she and their father have laid out for her.
Then she meets Nicholas. Nicholas is every girl's dream, but incredibly has never married. It is love at first sight.
In the delirium of first love, Julie fails to tell Nicholas about her failed marriage and the longer she leaves it, the more difficult it becomes to tell him. And Nicholas has very strong opinions on the sanctity of marriage.

At first sight this looks like just another version of the hackneyed plot - girl meets boy, they fall in love, there is a misunderstanding and the relationship fails, but all is well once the misunderstanding is cleared up and they all live happily ever after.
But the plot is far more complex than that. Julie, who has allowed other people to manage her all her life, is struggling against almost insurmountable odds to win the right to make her own decisions. Her sister, also trapped in family expectations cannot herself lead a normal life as she tries to fulfil the wishes of her dead father. Nicholas risks losing his chance of happiness through his stubborn refusal to relinquish his Victorian values.
There are some powerful moments in this story. When Julie discovers that her husband has returned to England suffering from a life-threatening disease, she puts aside all her other feelings to be with him. The little girl lost with no mind of her own emerges as a heroic figure.

I was captivated from the first. Lynette Sofras is a great storyteller. Her language flows easily. The plot is complex but utterly believable and her characters live and breathe. I found the whole deeply satisfying. A very mature work for a first novel.
I look forward to reading many more.
Jenny Twist, author

I bought this book by accident as I was actually looking for something else and didn't check it properly, but I am so pleased that I did get it. Serendipity, a happy accident. 'There are no coincidences' as Lyn reminded me several times and I think she is quite right.

It didn't take me long to get wrapped up in the romance. The scenes were so perfectly set, the characters seemed so real and the emotions spilled out of it. I laughed with Julie and I cried with her, I felt her anger and also her guilt. Most of all I felt her love, and I want to find my own Nicholas. If I ever find anyone half as decent and loving as that man then I will be a happy woman.

A happy mingling of love discovered, love thwarted and love regained, The Apple Tree by Lynette Sofras also contains reflections about the nature of friendship, marriage, and self-discovery. Recently separated Juliet Somerville returns to England from Saudi Arabia, struggling not only with her romantic future but also the prospects for her career. Her previous existence has centered for years on the goal of becoming a doctor, and the path was smoothed by the very man she now has left, once her mentor, cheerleader and husband. Questions about the suitability of her chosen occupation exacerbate her readjustment into a relationship with her older sister, her sole relative and a renowned physician who dismisses any possible change in Juliet's professional aspirations. Then a chance meeting with an old friend introduces her to an attractive man she assumes is a gardener, Nicholas Masserman. Suddenly new possibilities appear, and Juliet begins to explore romance as she draws closer to a decision about her life. But when she fails to be up front about her status, when assumptions are made on both sides about the romance with Nicholas, when an unexpected tragedy strikes, and when misunderstandings cascade one over another, the resolution the reader is rooting for appears impossible. Life isn't simple, and Sofras has created a tale enhanced by complexities found in real situations as well as showing a woman's growth independent of her romantic relationship. Nicolas and Juliet deserve their happy ending; and like the best of partnerships, improve each other as their love affair grows. Sofras's debut romance is solid and smooth, and readers will look forward to more books from her.